The Local Government and Communities Committee held its second evidence session on the Planning (Scotland) Bill this week. A recurring theme of this session was the issue of land value uplift. A number of contributors used the session to highlight the cost of land as a barrier to development, calling it a ‘critical issue’. There was a suggestion that the Bill could recognise the Scottish Land Commission’s findings in relation to land value with the option to trial any repeal of the Land Compensation Act 1963 provision for ‘Hope Value’ in the proposed Simplified Development Zones. You can watch the full session here.